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Defiant Dougie calls for a united front to ride out storm

DOUGIE Freedman is not entertaining the thought that Wanderers could slide into a relegation battle in the Championship.

Sufficiently pleased with the performance at Watford, despite a 2-1 defeat, the Whites boss produced a spiky response when pushed on the club’s league position – three points outside the bottom three, with a game in hand.

Freedman is confident he has enough quality in his squad to avoid any problems at the foot of the table.

“I thought our game plan worked,” he said after the Watford game. “If I have one criticism it was we didn’t get enough shots off and didn’t test their keeper. But we showed our quality.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. I know I have enough quality in the dressing room to springboard up the table. If I thought about what everyone else thinks I wouldn’t be here. I know, and those who have got any idea what they are talking about will understand the way we are playing, we are very close to it.

“There are inches in it. I just don’t think that way. Anyone who wants to help the club shouldn’t think that way either.

“We are all trying to move forward. We are in a difficult moment where we feel everything is going against us. We re-group and stand together and we will springboard up, no problem.”

Freedman inherited a side 18th in the table with 15 points from 13 games, and has since taken 19 points from the next 16 matches.

Wanderers have been the architects of their own downfall at times, throwing away a massive 24 points from winning positions this season.

But Freedman believes his side are close to turning things round.

“You can’t just go from losing to winning just like that. It takes time,” he said. “You have to make sure people are tuned into their jobs and make sure when you get opportunities you try and take them. “We are more than capable of matching these top teams. We have got to make sure we are all fighting for one cause.

“We are not far away.

“If we were sitting here and getting beat two and three and we weren’t performing maybe these questions are relevant to where we are.

“But if you know what you are talking about, we are very close.

“We are playing against teams in the top six we are at least matching them for any hour.”